Eastern

The Southeastern Partnership announced the Wilmington Regional Marketing Initiative, a new campaign in which local leaders from Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties will combine marketing efforts to bring jobs to the region.

Fayetteville's Economic Development Alliance will conduct an internal review and form a task force to re-examine its target industries following the failed Sanderson Farms proposal. Cumberland County commissioners voted last week against considering a proposal from the Missississippi-based poultry processor that would have created 1,000 jobs.

Douglas Searcy was named president of Barton College in Wilson. He is currently vice president for student affairs at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. Searcy will replace Norval Kneten, who is retiring at the end of the current academic year.

Live Oak Bank has opened an office in Santa Rosa, Calif., near the Napa and Sonoma wine-growing regions. The Wilmington-based lender hopes to provide financing to wineries, vineyards and breweries. Live Oak provides SBA loans to companies in specific industries including veterinarians, financial advisers and dentists (Regional Report, April 2013).

Wilmington City Council chose four finalists to redevelop downtown's Water Street parking deck site. Proposals include mixed-use projects with apartments and retail ranging from 13 to 15 stories. The city could make its final selection at a Feb. 17 meeting.

The 26-year-old founder and CEO of Wilmington-based Next Glass is No. 29 on Forbes' 2015 list of "30 Under 30" food and alcoholic beverage entrepreneurs, which includes chefs, food writers and wine and beer purveyors. Next Glass, which offers an app that helps users identify beers and wines they might like, launched in November and got 250,000 downloads in its first three weeks.

Cumberland County commissioners voted against holding a public hearing on whether or not to offer incentives for Mississippi-based Sanderson Farms to build a chicken-processing plant that would have created 1,000 jobs. The board voted informally in September against moving forward with the project, but the issue was revived following November's election.

New Hanover Regional Medical Center will renovate its emergency department and add 12,600 square feet at its main campus in Wilmington. The renovation will increase the number of patient exam rooms from 48 to 73. Construction is expected to begin this spring with an estimated completion date of early 2017.

Dominion Resources will hold information sessions for landowners in eastern and central N.C. who may be affected by a proposed natural-gas pipeline. This week's open houses will include updated maps showing the route of the 550-mile pipeline, which will run from West Virginia to southeastern N.C.

The city of Wilmington could have to pay between $11 million and $23 million for infrastructure improvements related to the private redevelopment of a downtown parking deck. The city council plans to recommend three finalists for the project at a Tuesday meeting.

McCall Farms will shut down its Wilson sweet-potato processing plant, idling up to 64 workers, by March 5. The Effingham, S.C.-based vegetable-canning company purchased the former Bruce Foods plant a year ago. Some employees will be offered jobs in South Carolina, where McCall plans to consolidate its sweet-potato processing operations.

Advanced technology is allowing wind turbines to generate more energy with less resources, which means wind farms in North Carolina could be more economically viable than previously thought. Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources plans to study the potential for wind-energy development in Hoke County.

Developers announced plans for a 228-unit apartment complex on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington. The proposed project would consist of seven three-story buildings on 11 acres and include 3,800 square feet of commercial space.

Four tire companies have considered opening plants in Brunswick County in the last two to three years, according to Jim Bradshaw, executive director of the local economic development commission. Bradshaw said three companies cited the threat of hurricanes as reasons for locating elsewhere.

Velvette Jones resigned earlier this month as president of Hoke Healthcare, part of Fayetteville-based Cape Fear Valley Health System. Jones was hired in fall 2013 to help launch the health system's 41-bed hospital in Hoke County, which is expected to open in February.

First South Bank completed a previously announced acquisition of nine Bank of America branches in eastern and central North Carolina. Financial terms weren't disclosed. The Washington, N.C.-based community bank now operates 35 branches, mostly in eastern N.C.

Fayetteville's vacant Hotel Prince Charles attracted only one bid – for $200,000 – in an online auction that closed Monday. Developer David Levinson bought the hotel in 2012 and had planned to convert it into office space and 80 condominiums before damage by vandals made the project too costly.